The subject matter described and/or illustrated herein relates generally to harness plates for carrying breathing apparatuses, such as air tanks and associated equipment.
Self-contained breathing apparatuses (SCBA) are used in a variety of situations where an individual and safe supply of breathable air is required by a user, such as by firefighters entering a smoke filled environment. The equipment includes an air tank, which stores breathable air under pressure, and a regulator valve, which delivers the air to the mouth of the user at a pressure suitable for the user to breath.
Typically, the air tank is large to enable it to hold at least enough air for the user to complete a required task. Due to the large size, the air tank is normally carried on the back of the user. For this purpose, a carrying assembly is coupled to the tank. The carrying assembly includes a rigid plate with a restraining strap that wraps around the air tank to secure the air tank to the plate, typically with the air tank in an outlet down position. The plate also has apertures formed therein. Shoulder and waist harness straps are threaded through the apertures to allow the plate to be carried on the back of the user. The plate and/or harness straps normally include suitable features that enable tubing associated with the SCBA to be routed around and retained in place on the carrying assembly.
Known carrying assemblies may be time consuming to don and remove, which can be a significant issue in certain situations. Furthermore, the shoulder and waist straps may extend tightly around the user, which may restrict both the movement of the user and also the user's accessibility to other equipment on the user's person. Furthermore, in military and civil defence industries, certain specialist users require the use of SCBA while wearing body armour and/op bulletproof vest-type jackets. Many current SCBA's are designed for the firefighting industry and do not integrate very well with other types of body worn equipment in other industries.
A need remains for an SCBA harness mounting system which is better applicable for use in specialist applications than known SCBA harness mounting systems. A need also remains for a mounting assembly which can integrate directly with existing webbing and body armour used in specialist applications.